Event's of Same and Jake  PART 2
by JakeAndJoy
Summary: This is part 2 on the Event's of Jake and Sam series!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi all!**_

_**This is part 2 of the Event's of Sam and Jake series. I'll update when I can! The part 3 will probably take a little longer to update since it's not written out yet, as these 2 chapters were written out before I started putting them up on Fanfiction.**_

_**Don't forget to fan me on Facebook! The first person to fan me will get a special shout out on Facebook and on Fanfiction! Search Jake And Joy, and I will come up as a writer. I am a fan of myself, I check frequently, so I will know who is first.**_

_**Thanks, **_

_**and enjoy part 2!**_


	2. Official Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Stupid…Dang…Strawberries." Samantha Forster grunted plunking the ripe, red strawberries into a bucket. She stopped a moment to wipe the perspiration off of her forehead. The boiling summer Northern Nevada heat was almost unbearable. Most people loved the summery, sweet taste of strawberries. Sam was not one of them, since it seemed like she'd been eating them all summer. Grace Forster was raising the fifty plants for the Darton fair, which was approaching. _I never did agree to pick them every single darn day_, Sam thought glanced enviously over at her best friend/boyfriend, Jake Ely; who was on a bucking wild appaloosa. Even being thrown off a loco feral horse numerously would be more fun than sweating in the dirt. The regal-looking filly gave another angry neigh and heaved the Shoshone cowboy half-way across the shook her head, trying to control a laugh. The HARP program would be starting in a few months, and already Wyatt had got the first horse from the Bureau of Land Management, the feisty appy. They hadn't named it yet, since Sam thought it would be cool for the HARP kids to help name it, but Jake had told Sam his nickname: Bruiser.

Wyatt had astonished Sam by hiring Jake back up again, after all the coincidences the last previous months. From being accused of sexual misdoings in Jake's pick-up (which were false and still made Sam's ears burn), to the fake proposal…Sam was sure this had been the most exciting summer ever.

More to come yet, too. The Darton County Fair, the round-up, the HARP program and the start of school, which wasn't stimulating Sam any. Her junior year wasn't going to probably be too exciting.

Sam Forster was planning to make this be the best end-of-summer ever. No annoying strawberries would prevent that!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_Samantha_!" called Brynna from the porch. "_Wyatt_, it's time to eat!"

" Eat, Eat." repeated Cody, who was fidgeting in Sam's step-mother's arms. Lately the eight month olds' favorite activity was duplicating whatever anyone said. _If he wasn't a baby, it could get him in trouble_, thought Sam. When Wyatt had smashed his thumb the other day in the door he had said 'damn', in which Cody repeated several times gleefully, earning a glare from Gram.

Sam sprinted towards the house. She had been helping her dad repair one of the stalls. Jake hadn't come today, since he was busy at Three Ponies. Sam was dying to brag that she had signed up Tempest for the animal judging at the fair.

"Heavens, child, wash those filthy hands!" Gram tsked, pushing Sam away from the table.

Sam quickly poured some soup from the kitchen sink into her hands and began scrubbing. She didn't want lunch to drag out forever. If she and Wyatt got done fixing the stall, she'd probably get the chance to take out Ace and try to find the Phantom.

The mysterious magical stallion hadn't been seen by Sam for a week. Mostly it was 'cuz she was so busy with chores and went to sleep exhausted every night.

"Sam, you've been staring at that cabinet for the past minute. Is there something wrong with it?" Brynna asked, coming over by Sam.

Sam blinked embarrassedly and shut off the water. Quickly, she sat down at the table. She suppressed a groan at the sandwiches and carrots. They'd been eating that for the past three days for noon, which was also 'cuz Gram was too busy cleaning for the Fourth of July picnic that'd be held at the Forsters'.

"Sammy!" squealed Cody, breaking another one of Sam's daydreams. "Sammy, eat!"

Wyatt grinned at his young son. "That's right, Samantha. Your food's not gettin' any riper."

Gram rolled her eyes. "I'll have Sam go to town today."

Sam had just recently got her driver's permit, and was required to drive fifty hours by next June. She was terrible on the road, and even Gram seemed weary to let her go alone. She had already been pulled over once with Jake, during his dumb lesson, and she didn't even wanna get into that.

"I can't wait until Fourth of July!" exclaimed Brynna. "I heard they're shooting off fireworks in Alkali. Trudy Allen said that they used some of Linc Slocum's money that was donated to the town."

"Of course he didn't donate that himself." Gram added. "But still. That means we'll get to see them. And if they were generous enough with his money, they'll be good."

Wyatt bit into a ham and cheese sandwich and said, "Who're we invitin'?"

"The Kenworthys', the Elys'," Gram started, and snuck a glance at Sam when she said Elys'. Sam pretended not to notice. "-Preston and Trudy, Heck, Clara…the usual people."

"Kit's home again." Wyatt announced. "He plans to watch Jake in the rodeo."

Jake was 'tryin' out his hand' in the Darton Fair rodeo and he was planning to ride a wild horse, instead of bulls, as Kit did. Sam figured he'd have enough experience, and bruises, to win.

"Fool idea." Wyatt said stiffly. "And you- Sam- are not gonna get involved with it."

Sam glanced at her dad's stony expression in surprise. "I know, I never said I was!"

"It's like askin' to be killed." Wyatt muttered so quietly that Sam almost didn't hear.

Gram interrupted. "You know Sam's going to be busy with Tempest. And did you hear about the prize you could win?" she asked Sam cheerfully. Before Sam could answer, she said, "For the best behaved filly you could win a whopping two-hundred dollars!"

"More of Linc's "donated" money?" Sam asked, eating the last grape.

Brynna giggled. "Probably."

"Yeah, heard he's havin' quite the time up in that jail. Payin' all his debts and all." Wyatt informed. "Still struttin' his cowboy attire. I heard that one of his cellmates told someone that if he'd have a penny every time Slocum said a stupid western saying, he'd have bailed himself out already."

….

"Crap." Pepper muttered under his breath after he dropped the screw on the ground and it rolled away. Sam looked around for a second.

"Looks like it's gone." she admitted. "And finding it would be like finding a needle in a haystack."

Pepper bit his lip. "There's no more." he said in his Idaho accent. "I guess when you're up in Alkali you'll hafta pick up some more."

Sam was relieved. Wyatt had made Pepper help Sam while he went out on the range. Now maybe she could postpone the stall-repairing until tomorrow. "I'll go ask Gram if I should go." she yelled, running to the house.

Once she got into the cooler house, Sam explained the situation to Gram, who was watching Cody and attempting to clean. "Call up Jake." her grandma advised, looking busy. "He has his license. Pepper doesn't have a license, and I'm too busy, so have him take you- if he's not to busy."

Sam nodded, reaching for the cordless kitchen phone. "Hey, Mrs. - I mean, Maxine." Sam said when Jake's mother answered at Three Ponies Ranch.

"Samantha!" Maxine exclaimed. "How are you?"

Sam grinned. "I'm doing great. How about you?"

Maxine laughed. "I'm pretty hot, but otherwise, fine."

The stifling hot July day wasn't any different than any other summer day. It was so hot Sam had seen a few mirages already today.

"So, I suspect you want to talk to Jake?" Maxine asked, and Sam detected that interested scheming sound that Brynna and Gram usually had, when talking about Jake.

"Uh, yeah. I got my permit, and I'm supposed to run up to Alkali because everyone else is busy." Sam wanted to clear up any suspicious rumors that could start.

"He's right here." Maxine said. "See you on the 4th, Sam!"

Sam tapped her fingers impatiently while waiting for Jake to answer. Obviously Jake was not "right there".

"Brat?" Jake's annoyed voice finally greeted. Sam knew he loathed talking on the pho ne. Especially since Sam could hear Maxine scolding him for calling her Brat.

"Why hello, Jake!" Sam said sarcastically. "How is your day holding up?"

She could almost hear Jake roll his eyes. "It was fine 'til you called."

"Jeez, you grump. I just wanted to know if you could take me to Alkali, since I can't drive alone."

"You can't drive, period." Jake said jokingly.

"And your answer is?" Sam replied, sighing.

Jake pretended to consider. "I guess I can…"

"Thanks a lot, see ya." Sam interrupted quickly. Gram was starting to look at her suspiciously. _Nothing's gonna change_, Sam told herself, _Even if Jake and I are going out_.

Still, she wondered if he was just putting up a front so his brothers wouldn't tease him, or was he still going to treat her like an immature little girl?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jake's cruddy Ford pulled in front of the Forsters' house six minutes after Sam called him. He killed the engine and jumped out.

Sam was still inside getting a grocery list from Gram when he came in the door, backtracking when he saw Grace to wipe his boots.

"Hey, Mrs. Forster." Sam heard him say, and she pulled on her shoes and picked up Cody and walked into the kitchen.

Jake grinned at Sam's little brother. Usually the baby would grab at Jake's Stetson or reach for him, but now he only smiled his angelic baby smile.

"Jakey!" he blubbered. "Damn!"

Gram gave a shocked gasp. Sam tried to control her bubbling laughter, and Cody, seeing Jake and Sam's exchanged startled glance, started squealing the word over and over, and suddenly Gram grabbed him out of Sam's arms.

"No, no!" she scolded the boy. "Don't say that." Gram's face still was completely shocked, and so was Jakes.

Sam wished she had a camera. Jake's face was a contorted mixture of amusement and astonishment. "He, um, repeats everything we say." Sam explained to a bemused Jake.

"Oh." Jake replied. "Well, I guess we should go."

Gram had Cody in the high chair. She bit her lip, and Sam wondered if that was really a glimpse of laughter that passed her face.

Once the two teenagers were in Jake's smothering hot truck, Sam fell into a fit of laughter. Jake joined in. "Man, Brat, what have you been teaching your brother?" Jake asked, shaking his head.

Sam chuckled and told him about Wyatt. She turned the key and gunned the motor and they about flew over the bridge. Sam saw Pepper standing by the barn with his jaw hanging open.

"Ease off!" Jake yelled.

Sam did, and soon they returned to a normal speed. "What do you wanna do, Brat, get us arrested?"

"No." Sam said truthfully. "I'm trying to total your pick-up."

Sam saw Jake grin a tiny smile out of the corner of her eye. "So," Sam said awkwardly. "I hope you didn't have any really important chores you were suppose to be doing at your house."

"Nah, ridin' with a crazy driver is way better," Jake said, and Sam smiled. "I was muckin' out Witch's stall. After you called, I got Quinn to do it."

Sam nodded, trying to concentrate on her driving across the Nevadan desert. Every five seconds she would check the speedometer to make sure she wasn't going over sixty-five. Finally, after that action had been repeated too many times, Jake stopped her.

"Gee, Brat, don't hafta be _that_ paranoid about drivin'-" Jake halted as Sam pressed down on the accelerator harder, making the truck speed up to seventy miles an hour.

"Remember when you started driving and you'd always make me shut up?" Sam retorted, slowing down ten mph.

"How could I have forgot, Brat?" Jake laughed. "You almost ran me off the road with your yakkin'."

Sam then saw the small town of Alkali ahead of her, and she slammed on the brakes. Jake compressed a laugh, and Sam turned red. She crept into a parking place at the Phil's Fill-up and stopped.

Since Sam looked so mad, Jake tried to reassure her. "You did great, Brat, for a first time, that is."

Instead of punching him in the arm like she normally would have, Sam grinned slyly. Jake was afraid of what she would do. He felt a small cool hand grab his and squeeze it gently. Jake almost had a heart attack.

Before he knew it, Sam was out of the truck and already walking towards the small store. He bewilderedly took after her.

"Paper cups, in a pack of_ exactly_ forty-five; Fourth of July napkins, small dill pickles, three two liters of pop; two of Mug Root Beer and two of Sierra Mist …" Sam read off of the list Gram had given her.

She and Jake split up the list and ten minutes later, had everything, including the screws for the stall door.

"Wow, that was fast." Sam sighed, relieved. "We got everything. Did you remember the mayonnaise?" she asked Jake.

"Yep."

Sam took the items to the cashier, who was some stocky guy, and gasped when she saw who it was. "Darrell?"

"'Sup, Sammy darlin'! Hey, Jake." he grinned.

Sam returned the grin. "I thought you worked for Diamond K..."

"-He's also takin' a part time job." Jake told Sam.

"Yeah, gotta earn some money if I'm gonna buy a truck." Darrell said. "But I still do work for Kenworthys'. Yesterday I helped Jen feed those yellow horses of hers. I gave 'em grass and sesame seeds."

Sam laughed. "You mean hay and oats?"

"That too," Darrell said, ringing up their items. "Hey, you havin' a Fourth of July party or what?"

"We are." Sam declared. "I'll ask Gram if you can come." she offered.

Darrell half-grinned. "Thanks, darlin', but ya don't have to."

"Well-" Sam hesitated.

"I already got invited by Jen."

"Oh." Sam said.

Jake grabbed Sam's arm and pointed to the clock. "We'd better get goin', Dar. See ya later."

"Adios, peeps." Darrell called, as they grabbed their purchases and took them out to Jake's vehicle. Sam set the bags by the seats of the truck, and started to step in.

Jake stopped her, by grabbing her hand quickly. "We still have time. You wanna go to Clara's and pick up some icecream?"

"Sure." Sam agreed, slamming the doors shut. Ice cream would taste so refreshing on a boiling summer day like this. She and Jake walked across the road to Clara's Diner, and were greeted kindly by Clara as soon as the jingling door closed behind them.

"What can I do for you two?" the vibrant blond asked as soon as they sat down. Sam noticed there wasn't very many people.

"I'll have a medium chocolate cone." Replied Sam. Hah, Jake couldn't tease her now about her cone dripping. She was wearing torn shorts and a brown T-shirt, since she'd been working earlier.

"Your pineapple upside down cake." Jake told the waitress. While they waited for Clara to make up their orders, Sam thought about the Phantom.

"I haven't seen him for a week." Sam realized she was talking out loud. "Za-Phantom, that is."

Jake looked up. "So?"

"I was just saying…"

"It doesn't always mean he's in trouble, Brat. He's a wild horse, for gosh sake." Jake told her, like she was a little girl.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a little kid, Jake. I know he's a wild horse, but-"

"But what?" Jake finished.

"Oh, never mind." Sam muttered, biting her lip.

Clara came back then with their ice cream, and Sam and Jake started talking about the Darton County Fair.

"I'm showing Tempest." Sam announced to him, licking her chocolate cone.

Jake widened his eyes. "Huh." was all he said.

"So, aren't you going to say something?" Sam asked eagerly.

Jake couldn't help but grin. "Great going, Brat, I'm so excited for ya."

Sam was satisfied. For awhile the two of them sat in silence, eating their snack. Sam sighed. "Jake, Dad thinks it's stupid that you're entering the rodeo."

"He's replacing me with you, Sam. I'll be fine." Jake said.

"I know, I know. Do you promise to not ride any horse out of Phantom's herd?" Sam didn't want Jake or any of Blackie's group to be disrupted.

Jake nodded, finishing up his pineapple cake. "Trust me, Brat, I'm not gonna let them use the Phantom's herd. Now how about you finish that dripping cone before it completely caves in?"


	5. Chapter 4

_**Thanks to those who fanned me on Facebook!**_

**Chapter 4**

"Here're the groceries." Sam told Gram, handing the products over to Grace. Sam's grandma smiled at her granddaughter and Jake in thanks.

"I'm glad you went and did it. The living room needs to be dusted, the porch swept and the peas picked again." Gram sighed. Sam's shoulders slumped. She knew what was coming next.

Gram handed Cody to Sam. "All that I'm asking you to do is to watch this little busybody. Take him out to see the horses; you know how much he loves them."

_ Must take after me_! Sam thought proudly.

"Okay," Sam decided. "And you, Jake, can give these nails to Pepper."

Jake nodded silently, and followed Sam back out side. "I'm glad she didn't make us pick those peas." he shuddered, pulling his Stetson down over his eyes.

Nodding vigorously, Sam hoisted Cody to her other hip and tried to keep up with Jake's long-legged stride.

"Where's Pepper?" Jake asked Sam, looking around.

"He's over by the bunkhouse." she answered, spotting Pepper's bright red hair. "I'm going to take Cody to see the horseys. Aren't we, Cody?" she ruffled her little brother's auburn hair.

"It's Nike." Sam told Cody. "Can you say Ny-keee?"

"Sammy!" shrieked Cody, grabbing Sam's red hair and pulling it. "Jakey!"

"What did he say about me?" Jake joked, coming up behind Sam.

Sam grinned at the young child. "Nothing much, right Code?"

"Jakey, Ny-keee, Sammy!" yelled Cody, wriggling into Jake's arms.

Over the last months, Jake had started to really like playing with Cody. A few weeks after he had been born, Sam remembered, Brynna had asked Jake to baby-sit. After that, Jake wasn't so scared of babies.

As he loved to do, Cody grabbed at Jake's short black hair and tugged. Sam laughed.

Just then, a voice from the door called, "I'm back, are you in here, Sam?" It was Brynna. _She must be back from the BLM_, mused Sam.

"Cody and me are in here!" Sam called back.

Brynna came into the barn, her red braid unraveling. Ever since she'd had Cody and went back to work she hadn't kept her French braid as formal as it once had.

She quickly kissed Cody on the head. "If you guys can keep an eye on him until I take a shower I'd be so glad."

"Fine." Jake told her.

Brynna grinned at them and took off towards the house. "Here's Ace," Jake announced to Sam's brother, walking to the next stall. "I'm sure he wants to be let out, but Sam was so busy shoppin' today she didn't have the time to."

Sam glared at Jake. "He was out in the pastures all day yesterday and I had to let out Tempest sometime. For some odd reason Sam's little filly and her frisky buckskin didn't get along very well.

Jake nodded, smirking. He liked it when he got her mad. She was actually pretty cute when her eyes started shooting sparks and she put her hands on her hips.

"You're just such a brat." Jake shook his head in sympathy and with a sudden urge, leaned down to Sam's short height and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Jake, what if Dad had seen you kissing me?" Sam hissed, face turning red with embarrassment and pleasure. Her heart was thudding so loud she was afraid Wyatt would hear her way out on the range with the cattle. For some reason, Jake and Sam's closeness seemed to attract Wyatt and get them in trouble.

"Uh…Sorry, Brat." Jake stuttered, "We'd better feed those horses."

Sam nodded, looking down. Cody was sitting on the cement floor squashing a ladybug. She must have set him down. Sam heaved Cody up on her left hip and quickly notified Jake that she was taking him into the house.

_**Later that day - **_

"SAMANTHA?" yelled a very angry voice from inside. Sam cringed and rubbed her old work boots. She couldn't believe Dad had found out. Why else would he be mad? Did Pepper tell him? He couldn't have seen, but maybe Brynna had seen them…

"What?" Sam made herself run into the house and up the porch steps. She was greeted by an exasperated-looking father and a questioning look from Gram and Brynna.

"Sam, how many times have I told you?" Wyatt roared, sitting down at the table. Sam reluctantly sat down at the table across from him, not meeting his eyes.

"Wait." Brynna interrupted, sitting by Wyatt. "Don't jump to conclusions, Wyatt. Just because Cody happened to be saying "Kissing, Jakey…"

Sam's eyes widened. Cody had heard her tell Jake that he shouldn't be kissing her?


	6. Chapter 5

"Samantha, I just don't want you to get hurt." Wyatt told his auburn-haired daughter.

Sam frowned at the clean kitchen table in thought. "Get hurt?" she asked.

"There are many accidents that could happen, Sam," Gram said softly. "Driving accidents, parties and other things you're not ready for."

Brynna bit her lip and glanced at Wyatt and Sam, as if trying to pick a side. "But it is only Jake Ely, not some creep from school…" she trailed off, actually losing dignity.

Wyatt looked at his wife. "Yeah, but-"

He stopped, and Sam tried to look calm and sure. But she couldn't. She knew that Dad was going to say something about how his employee had been one reason for the Accident, and how he usually went along with Sam and got in some horse-protecting situations.

"You need to wait until you are at least sixteen to date anyone, even Jake, but I think that you should be allowed to go to the movies or Clara's." Wyatt stated uncomfortably. Anybody could tell that he was embarrassed at this sort of speech.

Brynna and Gram nodded in agreement. "Do any of you want ice cream with blueberries?" Gram asked, breaking an awkward silence.

"Sure." Sam said finally, though she wasn't very hungry. Wyatt also said he'd take a little, and then daughter and father were left alone as Brynna went to check on Cody and Gram went to get the ice cream down in the cellar freezer.

"Hope Tempest does well in the fair." Dad told Sam, again trying to break the ice.

Sam managed a small smile. "I think she will."

Gram bustled up from the basement, and busied herself in scooping out French Vanilla and putting warm blueberries on top. "Tomorrow's 4th of July." she announced, as if Wyatt and Sam didn't already know that.

"I want you to wash off our two picnic tables." Gram continued, talking to Sam, "and help make the deviled eggs and fruit salad."

"Okay." Sam agreed, growing a little bit more excited. As much as she enjoyed the get-togethers, Sam hated cleaning for them. But it was going to pay off this time, especially if she got Jen to spend the night afterwards.

Plus, Linc Slocum and his bratty kids weren't going to be there. Sam shuddered remembering how Ryan and Jake would always be on the brink of a fight, giving evil glances at each other's way every spare moment…

"Sam, honey? What's with you lately, with spacing out?" Brynna asked concernedly feeling Sam's forehead for a temperature.

"Nothing's wrong." Sam blinked cheerfully. "I'm just excited for tomorrow."

"You need to get done eating that puddle and get up to bed." Her dad advised, gesturing towards the melting ice cream Sam hadn't noticed.

She mechanically scooped the sweet ice cream into her mouth, still deep in thought. If Dad was going to make her go to sleep earlier tonight, thinking that she was getting sick, he'd probably even more alert listening for Sam sneaking out to see the Phantom.

Sam wasn't tired. She restlessly tossed over in her bed, again. The bright moonlight elucidated Sam's room, and she restrained from looking at her clock. Every time she checked it was only minutes past the previous time. Sam sighed and turned the alarm clock around, seeing it was 11:45. She'd been in bed for two hours and even reading didn't help tonight, she had to see Blackie.

It was like that there was a spell put on her to make her awake until she'd saw the Phantom, Sam thought. She silently ignored her conscience and slipped on her work boots and coat, making sure to not wake Cougar, who was catnapping on the foot of her bed.

Sam's bedroom door swung open with hardly any noise, but still Sam was relieved that Dad and Brynna had their door closed and their fan on high. Gram's room door was also tightly shut, and as Sam silently counted to twenty, she heard no one waking up.

She took five timid steps down the short hallway, stepping over the creaky spots. Sam had to admit she knew every inch of the ground from her room to the door. At the staircase, she counted again to fifteen, and then sat down on the stairs, going down on her butt to eliminate any sound.

Sam wondered what Jake would say if he saw her. She normally wouldn't go to that extreme of caution, but tonight was risky, and she wasn't taking any chances.

The hardwood floor started to squeak, and Sam cringed, stepping quickly over the board.

Once outside, Sam breathed in a huge sigh of relief. She was so quiet sneaking out that not even Ace had heard her.

A familiar splash sound brought Sam back to reality in a jolt. Zanzibar! The magnificent silver stallion trotted through the waters of the La Charla. Sam slowly walked towards her former colt. Even though the Phantom and Sam's trust was remodeling itself once more, but Sam knew that she and Blackie were always going to be separated by freedom.

"Hey, Zanzibar." Sam whispered, placing a hand on the Phantom's strong neck. She pulled out the curry comb she stuffed in her sweatshirt pocket and gently began stroking Blackie's back, making firm but cautious brush strokes, getting rid of all the dust.

Sam had started using a softer brush a few weeks ago, and as the horse adapted to it, began using a tougher one. So far he was responding well to her brushing. She barely breathed as she ran the brush in circles over his withers and back. If her dad saw her right now…well, she couldn't imagine what would happen.

And if Jake saw her, like Gram would say, he'd be having kittens, and a plenty of them. "Jake could never believe that I've got this far." Sam said out loud, Phantom's ears flickering to the side as he listened to her voice.

"Well, Brat, I've just saw it for myself." a deep voice whispered, causing Sam to stumble.


	7. Chapter 6

_Sorry I haven't written in so long! I hope I didn't loose any fans. My dog recently died and i've recently had a huge writers block. I hope you guys know that I'm really sorry and I promise that I will write more often, I'm back!Enjoy!_

**Chapter 6**

"Jake!" exclaimed Sam, falling down onto slippery rocks of the creek. Her butt and legs were soaked, but she didn't notice. What she did notice was that Jake Ely was standing five feet away from her, eyebrows raised.

Sam glanced to her right, somewhat not expecting the Phantom to be there. She was right; the silver stud stallion was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing?" the two asked in unison, and Jake beckoned to her to reply first. He was mounted on Witch, wearing a Darton High Track shirt and jeans. For once, his black Stetson wasn't on his short black hair.

Sam muttered something and stood up, her jeans dripping. "I was standing here bonding with Za- Blackie, when all of the sudden you came and scared me out of my pants, Jake."

"You've got the pants thing right." Jake smirked.

Exasperated, Sam stomped out of the La Charla and faced Jake's dragon-like mare, looking up in frustration at her friendly enemy/boyfriend. "You know I haven't seen the Phantom for a long time." she continued, glancing worriedly at the dark still house.

"What about Ace?" Jake asked calmly. "Have you seen him lately?"

She nodded. "Duh, Jake, he's my-" she stopped abruptly as her gaze landed on the barn.

"Did ya think I was just comin' here to see you, Brat?" Jake laughed. "No, Ace seems to have a crush on Sky."

Cloudy Sky was Bryan Ely's new gray appaloosa filly. Bryan had bought the beautiful half-wild horse only about a week ago from someone down in Carson City for a remarkable price. Since Jake's brother was now out of college, he planned to spend the summer and fall raising the filly for barrel racing.

"You, you mean Ace is over at Three Ponies?" Sam gasped, starting to run towards the barn.

Jake must have tied Witch to the hitch rail because as soon as Sam saw Ace's empty stall, Jake was right behind her inspecting the bolt on the swing-out door.

"I told you he shoulda been let out." Jake mumbled, seeing that the hinge had been rusty and not as tight as they thought it was.

Sam buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Ohmigosh, Jake, I must of forgot, you know, after"-

Jake didn't look that mad, more embarrassed than angry. "Uh, yeah." he said, as if dismissing the thought. "I don't know if I want to wake Wyatt up to come fetch your mustang…" Jake ended, glancing up at Sam.

Relieved at the thought of not waking up Dad or Brynna and getting in trouble again, she agreed, and in no less than two minutes she was up on Witch behind Jake.

At least Witch wasn't a whinnying type of horse, Sam thought. You can give her credit for that. The ranch home was still as dark as ever, and Sam saw no signs of anyone slipping on their boots and turning on the porch light.

Once Jake and Sam were over the bridge, Sam asked how Jake had seen Ace outside. "I just saw him, Sam." Jake told her as if she were ten years old. "My eyes were obviously made for seein'."

Jake's dumb sarcasm made Sam grumpy. Since it was after twelve in the morning anyhow, Sam wasn't exactly happy-go-lucky. At least Jake came to tell me, she thought, squirming on Witch's back. Her jeans were stuck to her skin, where she didn't want them to be, but fortunately the normally desert-cold night temperature was surprisingly warm that night.

"Looks like you peed your pants, Brat." Jake smirked, like he knew what she was thinking. Sam suppressed a shriek and the urge to tighten her hands around Jake's abdomen.

Since Sam didn't reply to his comment, he actually attempted again. "But at least if you did it wouldn't matter…"

"Shut up, Jake." Sam muttered, refusing to make a big deal, and not taking his joshing seriously.

When they reached Three Ponies, Sam spotted her little mustang, tied to the post. He let out a whinny when he saw Sam, and she winced, hoping none of Jake's family had heard.

Quickly Jake dismounted and helped Sam down after him, when her foot got stuck in the long stirrup and she almost fell flat on her face. If horses could impatiently groan, that's what Jake's fiery mare would've been doing.

"Walk much, Brat?" Jake asked Sam jokingly as she tripped on a rock and fell into his arms, once more.

Sam grinned back, but kept steadily walking towards Ace. "Hey, you bad boy." she scolded, untying him from the post. "You got yourself a new girlfriend, huh? What cute fillies or colts your children could be."

"That's what I'd be afraid of." Jake mumbled quietly. "Geez, it's already after twelve thirty, Samantha. You'd better be gettin' home before Wyatt notices."

"Are you kicking me out?" Sam asked teasingly, but she had already been in the process of undoing the lead rope from the stake…

"'Bye, Brat." Jake said, and when Sam looked up he gave her a quick kiss on the mouth, and when Jake started to rub his neck in awkwardness, Sam pulled it away. "You don't have to be so scared, Jake. Dad's not watching."

Sam was still holding his hand, and so he kind of gave a small smile and kissed her again, long and gentle that time. Sam's incoherent brain always were thinking the same thing, _Jake seems so unlikely to kiss this good_! Of course those thoughts always embarrassed her and she would never tell anyone that, not even Jen.

After Sam pulled away, she grinned at Jake as she mounted up on Ace's bare back. "You might want to change those jeans of yours, Sam." Jake advised Sam, motioning to her wet pants. Sam turned and saw that they were indeed as uncomfortable as they thought. Her underwear line was visible and the butt of them looked Xeroxed to her.

Sam's blush was the true definition of red as she galloped away into the pitch black night.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Sam, are you sick?" the concerned voice of Wyatt Forster woke Sam up from a deep sleep that morning. She blinked against the blinding sunlight that flowed into her room. Wow, it must be later than she thought! Sure enough, Sam glanced at her clock and saw it was nine thirty-one!

"I'm fine," Sam replied, confused. "Is today the Fourth of July?"

"Yes it is." Gram replied, already decked out in an apron and her hands on her hips. "Let me take your temperature."

Before Sam could protest, the thermometer was put into her mouth under her tongue. Dad still stood frowning, and Sam stifled a groan when Brynna came into the room. So far they hadn't figured out that she'd been gone that last night, and Sam didn't know if that was a pro or con.

"She doesn't look pale." Brynna said, biting her lip. "She must have slept through her alarm, is all?"

Sam was getting frustrated. They were talking to her as if she weren't there. As soon as the timer beeped and Gram took the thermometer out Sam said, "I'm not sick at all, I was just a little bit- tired."

"Your temperature is fine, young lady. Now get dressed and come out side, the tomatoes need to be picked." Gram ordered, smiling. Wyatt and Brynna nodded together.

"Lots to do this mornin.'." Sam's dad said, like she didn't know. "It's not the time to be sleeping away in bed."

Once her parents and grandma were out of her room, Sam pulled the thin sheet down and stretched. She noticed in surprise that her wet jeans were slung over her chair in the corner of the room. Fortunately, nobody had seen.

Pulling a purple t-shirt and shorts on, she quickly brushed her mid-back-length auburn hair into a high ponytail to get it off her neck, since Sam sensed the early July day was probably already steaming hot.

"Mew." Cougar's happy meow interrupted Sam from running down the steps. She picked her growing kitten up and stoked his chin and ears, producing a rumbling purr.

After Sam had finished eating a blueberry muffin and got Cody dressed, she dashed outside and saw Gram crouched in the garden by the strawberry plants. _Well_, thought Sam, _at least I don't have to spend three hours doing that_.

"You can feed the horses first, honey." Gram told Sam, like she knew what Sam was probably thinking. "But I need these tomatoes picked before dinner time."

Sam gave her grandma a thankful grin, and she sped off to the barn, where she greeted Ace with a cautious look-over and a hug.

Dad stepped into the corridor where the stalls were. "Make sure you fill all the troughs and buckets." he advised Sam. "It's a stifling day, don't wanna dehydrate the horses."

Sam nodded. "Okay."

For a while Sam and her dad worked in pleasant silence. Then Sam noticed the unfinished stall. "What about this?" she asked Dad. "Should I finish it today, since there's not much left to do?"

Wyatt gave an admirable glance at his daughter. "Nah, Ross volunteered to do it."

Sam went on feeding the horses in the stalls, remembering how Darrell said that he helped feed the horses 'grass and sesame seeds.' Sam laughed out loud, and Dad gave her a questioning look, so she explained to him what was so funny.

"Remember to put Ace out in the ten-acre pasture." Dad told her, and Sam stiffened. She still had to be cautious; even if she was almost sure nobody had heard of her quiet escapade.

At three o'clock that afternoon, the Elys came over to bring their picnic tables and help Gram. Sam changed into a blue tanktop and khaki-colored shorts.

"Can I brush your hair?" Brynna asked her step-daughter, glancing out the window at the arriving truck.

Sam nodded, sitting down at the table. Her mind wasn't on Brynna's brushing, but on the Phantom. Didn't he recognize Jake? At times like that, Sam understood why some people had called him the Phantom Stallion. He seemed to just disappear.

"Do you like it?" Brynna asked, holding up a mirror. It was pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head, a few tendrils of reddish hair curling out. It would even stay up when she rode, unlike her ponytail. She gratefully told Brynna thanks, and her red-haired step-mom just smiled and bustled away to greet the Elys.

Sam was alone in the kitchen until Gram and Maxine came in, bringing the hot air in with them. That afternoon Sam hadn't had the chance to ride Ace or do anything outside except muck out a stall, pick tomatoes and fill the watering troughs. Gram had kept her in making desserts and sugar cookies she'd made herself.

"Hi, Sam, how're you?" Maxine warmly asked Sam, setting down some kind of food that had tinfoil on it. "Ready for school to start back up again?"

Shuddering, but smiling, Sam shook her head. "At least there's still July and August," Sam said more to herself than to Mrs. Ely.

"Yes, and then you'll be a junior and Jake'll be in college, all the way in Reno." Maxine sighed.

Reno was an hour and a half away, but Jake only planned to come home every other weekend. Sam was sure he'd be so good at his schoolwork he'd be able to come home every weekend. Plus, she knew that he hated to be away from horses that long anyhow.

"Why don't you put this pitcher on the picnic table out there?" Gram told Sam, handing her a pitcher of iced tea. "And then you can go talk to Jake,"

Sam was glad nobody heard that comment, even though Gram used to say it all the time, she knew it was different now.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she barreled out the door without thinking, and plowed into the person she'd been thinking about. Iced tea went flying, and Sam was caught in a slow-motion nightmare as she watched the pitcher spin through the air and hit someone straight in the head.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"My bad." were the first two words out of Sam's mouth. Jake stared at her in unmasked shock, but Sam's tongue froze on that last word.

Daisy Sunshine Roberts's face was the description of anger. She held her pale forehead, glaring resentfully at Sam.

_Oh my gosh!_ Sam's realization of the situation sunk into her like a rock into an ocean. She had tripped in the doorway, collided with Jake and let go of the plastic pitcher. But, why was Daisy Roberts there?

"Uh, are you going to say somethin'?" Jake hissed his mouth barely moving.

Sam's astonished gaze stayed on the preppy cheerleader, seeing that Daisy's low-cut white blouse was drenched with iced tea, which made it more of a brown runny color.

"Jeez, Daisy," Sam managed to say, cringing at her squeaky voice. "Um, are you okay?"

"Nice goin', Darlin'!" yelled a voice from the accumulating crowd. It wasn't too hard to figure out who said that.

Gram came to the rescue as usual, shepherding Daisy and Sam into the house, leaving Jake's surprised face and the cowhand's dumbfounded expressions behind. Just before the screen door slammed shut, Sam saw Jen mounted on Silk Stockings, her hand covering her mouth.

"How about you go help Daisy find some new clothes?" Brynna suggested kindly, not even blinking at the blonde's drenched clothes.

"O-okay." Sam stuttered, starting for the steps. Once the two girls reached Sam's small bedroom, the cowgirl was discreetly aware of the Horse and Rider magazines and fancy tack catalogs scattered around, as well as Sam's dirty shorts and old faded bed sheets with small brown ponies on them.

"Nice bunnies," Daisy rudely commented, sidestepping the rug that her mom had made her when she was four years old.

Sam's ears burned, and she forced herself back from a very rude comeback. The rug was one of the only things she still remembered from her relationship with Louise.

"Here." Sam jerked a black t-shirt and pair of skinny jeans she hated and tossed them to Daisy. Even though the jeans weren't Sam's idea of comfortable, she figured Daisy'd like them. Plus, she had to resist a tempting urge to not give Daisy a pair of neon orange and purple shorts and a ratty t-shirt, from her San Francisco Middle School.

"Where's your bathroom?" Daisy asked stubbornly, hands on her hips.

Sam tried not to sigh. She was missing out on what Darrell and Jen were saying right now, and plus, why was Daisy there anyway?

"I'll just go downstairs. The bathroom is the door on the other side of the hallway." Sam informed, leaving before the preppy girl could answer.

Once downstairs, Sam confronted a questioning Gram. "You've got into more trouble than I could have ever imagined, Sam."

Sam bit her lip and nodded. "But why's Daisy Roberts here?"

"She was taking riding lessons from the Kenworthys'. Her dad is making her since she never rides her horse." Brynna explained, continuing, "So she just came with the Kenworthys and I also invited Eric Roberts."

"Oh-" Sam said, just as Jen bustled in through the door.

Jen stopped to give the Forster ladies a friendly grin. "Sam, can you come help me with Silly, she's being a problem horse today."

Sam nodded, understanding where Jen was going. Jen had perfect control of her frisky mare, and as Jake would do, didn't like to ask for help unless there was blood involved.

"Oh my gosh, Sam!" Jen practically yelled once they were two hundred yards away from the house and the company. "I cannot believe it! Here I was, trotting over River Bend Bridge when all of the sudden there was a plastic pitcher in the air and Daisy was drenched in it!"

Sam winced, throwing a glance over her shoulder. Thank goodness only the Elys had been there when it happened. Now Trudy and Preston, Brynna's new "substitute" for Willow Springs, Al Gray; were all arriving.

Just as Sam suspected, Jen only stroked Silly's forelock and kept on talking. "-I think it was the funniest thing I've ever seen excluding the time you and Jake almost plowed into that Brahma bull statue…"

Sam snorted. "Funny alright, especially when it's not you."

"Your gram said she wants you to help." announced Jake. Sam whirled around, and as usual, hadn't heard him come.

"I will." Sam told him, starting once more towards the house. Jen stayed by the post, retying Silk Stockings in case she got a notion to try to escape for attention.

Jake walked by her, but steps ahead of her. Sam knew he was embarrassed about that incident, but oh well. It wasn't the first time that had happened.

...

"Mom, we can't go!" exclaimed Jen, her eyes growing wide beneath her glasses.

"We'll stay for those fancy fireworks." Lila Kenworthy assured. "But you need to get lots of sleep tonight, if you're gonna be teachin' Daisy bright and early next mornin'." she drawled.

Jen cast a glance at Sam and mouthed, Oops. Sam rolled her eyes and mouthed, Tell me!

"Oh, look, they're startin'!" announced Quinn Ely, pointing at the lightened up sky. The contrast between the bright colorful lights and the dark black Nevada sky made it eery and cool.

Sam self consciously went over and sat by Jake, who had saved a lawn chair for her. Jen sat on the other side of her with Darrell. Sam noticed that Eric Roberts was revving the engine of his Dodge, and Daisy sat sullenly in the passenger seat. All evening Daisy had spent it in the house or ogling over Gabe Preston. _At least she got over Jake_, Sam mused, glancing at the side of Jake's face.

Jake threw a small "tomcat" smile at her, and widened his eyes a quarter of a millimeter when a huge firework went off, sparkling the sky with fire.

"It's a good thing it ain't any closer." Wyatt deliberated to Luke Ely. The two ranchers stood by the picnic table, glancing wryly at the sky.

"Yeah." Luke agreed. "What a waste of Slocum's money."

Sam knew they were really awed by the display of color though, because they continued to watch.

"Holy freakin' cow manure!" yelled Darrell when a fancy firecracker spelled out Happy 4th!

A few of Jake's brothers and Gram shot Darrell a funny glance. Jen started to laugh, her red, white and blue braids swinging out.

"I'm glad you don't do that to your hair." Jake reluctantly told Sam, looking at her chestnut-red locks. Sam chuckled. "Yeah, well, if I cut it off again, will you get mad?"

Jake gave her a long sidelong glance. "It's uh, prettier, when it's long like it is now."

"I wasn't going to anyhow." Sam assured him, gasping over a huge explosion in the sky. It wasn't often that she saw fireworks, especially ones these good.

After the grand finale of firecrackers, Lila and Jed pulled Jen over to Silly and forced her to mount up and leave. Darrell hopped in his graffiti-covered bug and sped off ten minutes after the Kenworthys left. Sam was glad he stayed longer, so she could ask about Daisy.

"Jenny has to help her get used to her Saudi Arabian horsey, who's name is Jacob!" chortled Darrell.

Sam and Jake had laughed too, since Darrell said "Saudi Arabian horsey" instead of an Arab.

"Eric Robert's is payin' her big bucks, and she's only gonna do it for a few weeks." Darrell had continued, taking a swig of Mountain Dew.

The Elys and Trudy Allen and Preston were the last to leave, but Jake stayed longer to help clean up. Jake made Sam go to the barn and make sure Ace wasn't trying to undo the bolt.

Once in the barn, Sam flipped on the lights and screamed, plowing into Jake from the behind.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The Phantom, in all of his majestic glory, stood in the barn. Sam, who had had a death grip on Jake's wrist guiltily let go.

Jake was just as speechless as Sam was, but when the lead stallion only curiously leaned toward, Jake just shook his head. "Jeez, Sam, he's too tame."

Sam, whose mouth was still agape, just stared at Jake blankly. "But-" she started dumbly. Zanzibar was not that domestic, something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Blackie." Sam said, reaching for the horse. Jake's expression looked like he was going to stop Sam from doing that.

The Phantom Stallion snorted angrily when Sam stepped forward, but gave a feeble unfamiliar neigh.

Then Sam spotted his side. Even in the dim barn light, she could see that there was dried blood all over his silver flank. Something pointy and sharp stuck out of a wound, and Jake, noticing this too, flipped on light.

"Oh, my gosh, Jake!" whisper- yelled Sam, going to Blackie's side, and inspecting it. Jake wordlessly stepped over, his jaw tightening.

"It looks like someone purposely shot him with a tranquilizer. We've got to get a vet." Jake announced grimly, "It's infected."

The last thing Sam noticed before she blacked out was Jake's arm steadying her, and the Phantom's wild eyes, looking at her with trust. _Only you can save me this time_, he seemed to be thinking.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Samantha!" Gram's concerned but urging voice woke Sam up. _Ow_, Sam thought, rubbing her head in pain. She was disoriented. First of all, why was he bed so hard? And why were Jake and Gram standing over her?

"The Phantom!" exclaimed Sam in realization. "Someone shot a tranquilizer at him!" she looked around desperately. Ignoring Jake's steadying arm and Gram's grimace, Sam stood up on wobbly legs and sprinted out the barn door.

The regal silver stallion lay motionless on the ground. Sam's hand covered her mouth with shock. Never had the Phantom lain on the ground, so lifeless, in front of her. Blackie was a strong, ghost-like stallion. He'd been tied to a barrel of cement and a racing truck. He'd been forced into the gates of Karla Starr's rodeo. He had once been sick and Sam had to help him. But never, never, did Sam see him completely defeated.

"Tranquilizers do that." Pepper reassured Sam, gazing at the unmoving horse.

_Everything's going in slow-motion_! Sam thought desperately. But then she saw that Dad was striding to her, cell phone in hand.

"I called Dr. Scott." he told her, looking tiredly but sympathetically at Sam. "He said he's on his way."

Sam didn't notice that Jake was holding her hand until the veterinarian's car bumped across River Bend Bridge. "He's here!" Sam exclaimed in relief, running towards him.

Dr. Scott immediately began examining the horse. He even snapped a picture of the tranquilizer and the wound. He had Brynna help by getting disinfectant for the wound and cleaning it up. Sam knew she was riled up because the vet hadn't asked her for assistance yet.

"Hold your horses, Brat. He's just doin' his job." Jake reminded her.

Sam did a very naïve thing by narrowing her eyes and sticking out her tongue out at him. "Well," Sam hissed. "I'm probably not going to have any horses to hold. Dad's gonna probably be mad."

"Aw, no he won't. It ain't your fault some idiot shot Blackie…" Jake said. Putting his arm around her shoulders in a casual way, he added, "I don't know why he would, since he knows he'll hafta fight ya for him."

Sam grinned despite everything. A real cowboy never would compliment anyone, really, but things like that were better than compliments any way.

"Samantha?" Dr. Scott finally had his clip board and was ready for questioning. "Can you tell me how he could have gotten into the barn?"

Sam was truly stumped. Was the door open when she had come in with Jake? She couldn't remember.

Jake must have noticed that she didn't know. "Only a crack, Doc. I don't know how he could've gotten in."

Dr. Scott nodded thoughtfully and asked Jake this time, "Do you think that tomorrow you could track the blood? We need to arrest whoever who did it for illegal horse harassment and injury."

Sam went over to her grown-up wild horse. The puncture was little from the dart, but deep and at least five hours old, if not a day. The Phantom had probably went to the last resort. He'd came to the only humans he trusted; Sam and Jake.

Still, his closed eyes and sprawled out body gave her the chills. Oh, when she found out who did this…

"Sam, can you tell me where his herd of mustangs are now?" Dr. Scott asked.

Sam didn't have to think too hard. "They're always around, but I think they're closer here, like they are in the summer."

Brynna agreed with her step daughter. "They're in prime condition at this time of the year. Especially since there's been a perfect amount of rain."

Sam saw Dad telling the cowboys they could go to their bunkhouse. Gram was still outside though, shivering in the suddenly cool air, and the horse lay only ten feet away from the barn.

"What are we going to do with him?" Gram inquired. "We could never put him in the barn or even the ten-acre pasture."

"This tranquilizer is suppost to make them sleep for six hours. I figure he was shot at around two o'clock this afternoon. Since he fell asleep about ten minutes ago, he'll be awake and fine at 11:00. He's one strong horse." Dr. Scott said.

Thoughts whirled through Sam's cluttered brain. She was helping Brynna and Gram get ready for the picnic then, so she really didn't have any suspicions. Both Flickinger and Slocum were in jail, as well as other horse rustlers…So there must be someone new.

"I can almost see the wheels turning, Brat." Jake chuckled. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."

Dr. Scott was packing up to leave, and Sam's dad, Brynna and Gram were still looking at the regal.

Jake led Sam off over to the ten acre pasture, where Sam leaned against the fence and stroked Strawberry's forelock absently. Jake leaned on the fence right by her.

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early." Sam suddenly said, climbing up the fence and sitting on the top rail, so she could look down on Jake.

Jake's eyes widened. "Sounds like you remembered somethin'."

Sam ignored him about her knowing that the best time for tracking was early morning. "Anyway, you meet me, 'kay? I'll be there at 4:30."

"Tell Wyatt you're just out for a ride." Jake reminded her.

Sam shook her head slowly. "Gram is making him go to church with her and Brynna. But usually she doesn't make me. They leave at about 9:30, so Dad probably will be happy if I do the chores."

Jake nodded, his dark eyes blending in with the starless sky. "Don't be late, and, good luck with Blackie."

With that, he took off for his truck. Sam climbed down, still deep in thought.

Dr. Scott reassured Sam about leaving him alone. "He'll be wild when he wakes up." Sam just nodded.

But still, a nagging thought tugged in her mind. Who had done this and why?


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 12**

An icy shiver trailed down Sam's back. Even Nevadan summer mornings could get down to thirty degrees. But that wasn't why Sam shivered. Someone was watching her. She tried to ignore it by thinking about the Phantom. That morning when she jumped out of bed and ran out of the door, she saw what she knew was going to be there. There was no trace that the Phantom had been there.

Turning Ace in a slow 90 degree angle, she about jumped a foot when she saw who was behind her. Jake Ely.

"Jeez, Jake!" exclaimed Sam, heart pounding. "Talk about giving someone a heart attack!"

Jake smiled his lazy tomcat grin. "Good mornin' to you too, Brat."

The sun wasn't coming up completely yet, but by the yellowish haze on the horizon, Sam figured this would be another stifling hot day.

"So where do we start?" Sam asked, looking down at the desert wasteland and wondered what Jake saw there that she never did.

"I already was lookin' by Three Ponies down to here, not that you expect the Phantom to be by my house. Jus' in case, you know."

Sam nodded. Ace pawed the ground in annoyance. "I don't know about you, Ely," Sam joked, "But my horse is itching to go!" with that, she tapped Ace, not that he needed any boost, and off they went.

"Remember down at Monument Lake and when we chased Star?" Jake asked sometime later. They were over by War Drum Flats, and Sam was getting a head ache from staring into the rising sun for so long.

"How could I forget?" Sam said.

"When I wasn't running, we rode double. I figure that if we're tracking a horse and a rustler, we can't mess up their tracks." Jake said logically.

Sam nodded. "So you're saying we have to ride double?"

"Yeah." Jake agreed. "So you need to dismount and get up here behind me."

Sam was irritated that poor Ace would have to be sent home. "I know how to dismount, Jake Ely." she retorted, climbing off the reluctant little bay.

Jake chuckled. "Don't git your pants in a twist."

Sam dramatically faced him, hands on her hips. "Is that suppost to mean something?"

"Come on, Brat. We're wastin' time." Jake grabbed her hand and helped her up behind him on Witch.

...

"Jake! What's that over there?" Sam gasped not five minutes later. There had always been tumbleweeds scatted everywhere. But the clump Sam saw was smashed down in the back and upright in front. Sam frowned.

Jake lowered his voice, not turning around to look at Sam while he spoke, "Looks like someone was spying on the Phantom behind those weeds."

Sam's eyes widened as Jake swiftly dismounted off of Witch and ground-tied her. Jake didn't go past five feet away from the evidence.

Sam sighed impatiently five minutes later. She didn't see why Jake could stare at something for so long and not go insane.

"'Kay," Jake said finally, ignoring Sam's intolerance. "I've found something."

He didn't say to come over by him, but Sam disregarded Witch when the mare snorted as she descended from her. Jake stopped her by him and pointed to a single standing tumbleweed. Sam had to look at it for awhile before she noticed it had tiny dots of brown.

"So, it's dying." Sam announced. "What's important about that?"

Jake sighed, but he looked at her in amusement. "Tobacco."

"It's tobacco?" Sam said excitedly. "You mean our bad guy is a tobacco chewer?"

Jake shook his head slowly. "Don't know for sure. But let's get back up on Witch and go farther."

Ten feet away smudged hoof prints were visible, and Sam excitedly opened her backpack and took out her camera. She snapped a picture of the prints.

Jake's mustang eyes looked excited, the way they got when he found something. "Pretty obvious." he muttered. "That's where he shot Blackie."

Sam's stomach turned when he said "shot Blackie".

The Shoshone cowboy looked up at her from the ground, and he noticed her discomfort. "Blackie's fine." he reassured Sam, climbing back up on his horse. He surprised her by letting her sit in front of him. Witch seemed to sigh with annoyance, but neither Jake or Sam acknowledged it.

When Sam and Jake used to always ride double Jake's arm around her stomach never used to feel like that. She was afraid that he would feel the butterflies in her stomach. Was it just her or was he holding onto her differently?

"Gee, Brat, wipe that weird expression off your face and let's go!" Jake peered into her face, looking like Gram did when she was taking Sam's temperature.

Sam nudged Witch forward, walking her, carefully avoiding the foot prints. Witch, thinking she was getting the permission to trot, began to make Sam and Jake bounce across the rocky terrain. Then Jake's hands slipped up on his grip around Sam's abdomen and Sam was acutely aware of her red face.

"Uh, um, well-" Sam stuttered dumbly, cringing. Sam's trademark quote was "I just missed a good chance to shut up." It certainly applied there.

The way Jake kind of uneasily loosened his grip told Sam that he was plenty embarrassed.

"Look!" Sam cried, louder than usual. "Someone took off in a hurry, look at those skid marks."

Witch stepped cautiously three steps further, and Jake sat back in the saddle observing the tire marks. "It was four-wheel drive. Looks like they parked it about a hundred feet from the road."

The road he was talking about was a one lane, unpaved road that meandered through War Drum Flats. Sam knew from experience that it was terrible to drive on and you could see the next person in front of you; even if they were ten miles away.

"Brat, I think I've found somethin'." Jake interrupted, and Sam followed his line of sight. There, standing against the skyline of the western desert playa was the Phantom. With a rope around his neck.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

"Oh, my gosh." Sam said simply, her feet instinctively nudging Witch's side.

Jake poked her in the back, and Sam knew he was warning her to be quiet and stay away from the Phantom. Throwing a quick glance behind her shoulders, Sam saw that Jake's eyes were glued on the dirt path road, and Sam squinted, seeing a dot in the distance.

Meanwhile, the regal was walking slowly over to Witch and the two riders on Witch's back. Since Jake's fiery black mare recognized the lead stallion, she only neighed shortly, and acted like she didn't notice the huge white horse.

"We gotta do somethin'." Jake said, as if Sam didn't know that. The dot on the horizon was becoming bigger by the second, and Sam knew it wouldn't be long before that person could see them.

The thundering of hooves on the desert flatland and the whinnying of a horse jolted Sam, literally, back into Jake. Blackie was driving Jake's unusually obedient mare right into his herd!

"Where did they come from?" Sam asked out loud, thinking that she had no time to think, but react, like the horses did.

"Hidin' in the lost canyons, I bet." Jake absently told her, letting Witch have free rein.

"Then that's where the Phantom's taking us." Sam announced, just now realizing that her wild horse was trying to save them from the tobacco-chewer, by ushering them into the wild horses' secret home.

"Crap, Sam, he's gainin' on us!" Jake called, his voice being snatched away in the wind.

Sam turned halfway around, glancing at the road. Sure enough, the vehicle was getting closer, and it had to be going at least 100 mph.

The feral horses were galloping so fast that Sam's ears were echoing from the thundering stampede of all of the animals.

The rocky cliffs and crevices of Thread the Needle were directly ahead, and Sam's stomach lurched at the sight of tiny dollhouse-sized spreads down below. She didn't take the time to look for River Bend, but if she had, maybe she would've seen that her dad wasn't out doing chores yet. In fact, Gram had persuaded him that morning to sleep in a bit, since he was so exhausted.

Sam's hands were wrapped so tight around Witch's reins that they were white and the veins were very prominent. Jake was also leaning forward against Sam, and he barely noticed her unraveling braided hair blowing into his face and mouth.

The truck was so close after them that Sam could make out that the vehicle was a four-wheel drive Dodge.

Just then, with a sickening lurch of G-forces; they were down in a winding cave. At least, that's what Sam thought it was. She was so disoriented that they could be in Florida and she wouldn't know.

They came to a sudden halt, and Sam gazed around for awhile at the mass of mustangs in the huge open cave.

Overhead, there was a roar of an engine, and then, empty silence. A string of cuss words was yelled, and Sam inhaled a shaky breath.

"Where'd he go?" a confused squeaky voice asked. "I look ahead, and all of the sudden they disappeared!"

The older guy, the curser growled at his accomplice. "Don't need an instant replay, idiot."

"Well, it ain't my frickin' fault that those loco nags fell in to thin air!" the squeaky-voice youth whined.

The sound of a fist into a gut made Jake clench his jaw. The mustangs silently stood around in the cave, and it was unlike anything Sam had ever seen. They were so quiet, it was amazing.

When another string of cuss words were yelled, Jake's grabbed Sam's hand. "Twerpy." he mouthed.

Jimmy Henson, alias Twerpy to Sam and Jake, was the seventeen-year-old accomplice of Curtis Flickinger. Apparently, after his last nasty encounter with the Phantom, Sam and Jake; he was put into a juvenile detention center down by Reno.

"You sure?" Sam whispered.

Jake wordlessly nodded.

The cave walls, as Sam now noticed, were rusty-red and hard. Most likely, the whole thing was clay. Still, she wondered if she and Jake were the first humans to be in it_. And hopefully not the last_, Sam thought worriedly, hearing thumps and bangs aboveground.

Sam might have been pretty darn scared, but she was aware enough for her heart to speed up when Jake grabbed her shoulder and pointed.

Up at the corner, directly in front of them, was a thick crack of light. Down the length of that side was a crack, (Sam figured that it somehow opened up or something), and she saw a boot with spurs. They weren't the normal spurs, though. These were the dangerous, grotesque ones similar to Slocum's old ones.

"Maybe that ghost story really's true." Twerpy muttered. "But I figure they're 'round here somewhere"

"We gotta get 'em to 'for noon." the older wrangler announced. "You know that, Henson. He'll beat us if we don't."

"It is Jimmy Henson!" Sam mouthed to Jake.

Jake's dark eyes, full of adrenaline, met hers. "Ya think that's Fat Guy?" he quietly said, his voice barely audible to Sam, even though his lips were a centimeter away from her ear.

Fat Guy, another one of Flick's jail buddies, had been an unsuccessful Texan rancher, and had gotten into a lot of trouble. After he was caught by Heck Ballard, with help from Sam and Jake, the police found that he had owed lots of money to people.

It couldn't be Fat Guy, Sam reasoned. He was down in a prison in Texas, smoking cigars and waiting for his five years to come up.

Plus, the last time she saw a picture of him, on the Internet; he was overweight, sleazy and completely dense.

The horses around Witch, Sam and Jake had suddenly thinned out. Now, in the large cave, were only Jake's horse, the Phantom, Jake, her and Phantom's lead mare.

"Where'd they go?" Sam whispered to Jake in amazement.

Jake nudged Witch three steps further into the cavern. There, Sam saw a hole, grass slanting upwards, and empty outdoors. Of course, the Phantom's herd had a secret exit too!

"I've got to do something," Sam proclaimed to Jake. "We gotta get out of here and to Willow Springs so we can get Brynna."

Sam rarely, rarely, saw Jake look so deflated. "Brynna's at church, remember?" he told Sam.

"Nuh-uh!" it was hard for Sam to continue whispering so quietly, when she was so riled up. "If they found rider-less Ace come home, I'm sure Brynna is driving around looking for me."

Jake smiled a lazy tomcat grin, and Sam knew he was back to his smug self. "Best idea yet, Brat. Let's get goin'."

Sam cringed when she heard stray pebbles roll across the echoing floor. Twerpy and his collaborator were quiet above them, and Sam heard something splat softly on the ground.

"No sense in sittin' here gettin' older. I'd say we should head down to Lost Canyon."

That was their cue. Witch, understanding that Jake wanted to be quiet, walked ten feet over to the hidden exit.

"We're gonna have to dismount." Jake informed Sam, glancing up the highly-elevated passage.

Jake nimbly jumped down off of Witch and hit her flanks. The menacing mare swiftly understood his command and climbed up the ramp. Seconds later, Sam or Jake couldn't see her. It was like she completely vanished.

If Jen was here, she'd have a radical explanation, Sam thought, queasily looking at the ramp. The elevated land was steep, and about three feet off the ground. Sam herself wasn't more than 5"2, but she was strong and could jump good.

"I'm gonna climb outta here and help you up, Brat. Try not to be loud." Jake explained to Sam.

They stood shoulder to shoulder by the steep exit. "Good luck, Jake." Sam told him, her heart pumping fast and her hands feeling clammy. It felt like they'd been in the grotto cave forever. She hoped in reality it wasn't very long.

Before she knew it, Jake was out and was reaching for her hand on the other side. Sam climbed up, her boots skidding on the clay surface. Thankfully, it wasn't loud, and Sam couldn't here the horse rustlers anymore.

Sam was sweating by the time she hauled herself out into the sunshine. She tumbled out onto the hard ground, and she was face to face to a kneeling Jake.

He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, and Sam forgot about the wranglers. Instead, her arms went around his neck and she held on to him for dear life.

"They got 'em, Sam." Jake told her, pulling away from her. Sam looked up and saw Brynna, her dad and Heck Ballard walking towards them.

After Sam and Jake were bustled out over to where the ranch truck and Heck's police cruiser were, they explained that Brynna had found Ace and knew Sam was in trouble.

"He's actually the one who led us to you guys." Brynna grinned, and Sam looked behind her, and saw Ace.

She stroked him and Dad and Jake didn't even complain that she was spoiling a perfectly good ranch mustang.

"That was Jimmy Henson and Lester Ackerson." Heck said, and Sam could see another cop in the car with the two criminals. "I tell you, if it weren't for you two, we'd have horse wranglers still on the run."

Dad hugged Sam, and Brynna even attempted to hug Jake. "Gram's at home, watchin' Cody, and in a nervous wreck." Dad told Sam. "So we'd better get you on back home."

"I'd have you explain it all, but you look tired." Heck grinned to the teens.

Jake cut in, "As for now, there's a silver horse behind you waitin' to be thanked."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sam had gone to sleep that night with a throbbing headache, concerned parents and a warm feeling of pride.

So it was no surprise that she woke up at seven o'clock, went downstairs and gobbled up five blueberry pancakes from Gram. But it was a surprise when the phone rang and Jen answered, sounding urgent and irritated.

"Why, Sahmahnthaaa." Jen sounded out in a ridiculous British accent. "Guess who is paying you a visaaahht?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Sam groaned. "The princess herself?"

"Yep. In all of her tan sleek beauty." Jen pretended to hurl.

Sam was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn't notice Jake saunter into the front door and greet Gram and Cody. Nor did she hear him come up behind her from her position on the couch.

"I thought Rachel Slocum moved away- for good." Sam sighed. "That figures. Why is she though?"

At that same moment Jen said, "I heard about you and Jake's pursue yesterday."

Jake was now leaned over by Sam's ear, and Sam was still completely oblivious to him. She didn't even hear Ace's mournful whinny from outside or Gram yelling goodbye.

"I'll answer first." Jen told Sam. "Okay, she's coming back to pick up-"

Sam didn't hear the rest of Jen's sentence because she felt a tickling sensation on her neck. She whirled around swiftly still holding the cordless phone, and her mouth collided awkwardly with Jake's cheekbone.

Jake inhaled sharply, but it wasn't heard over Sam's sudden gasp. If her heart wasn't already pounding from being scared out of her wits, she would have noticed that the speed picked up like it always did when she was close to Jake.

Despite the weird position, Sam's eyes felt drawn to Jake's mouth, and she scolded herself for acting like a lovesick flirty girl.

Just like normal, Sam was totally unaware of anything else. Jen had heard Sam gasp, and she uttered, "Um, Sam, are you okay?"

Too bad phone reception wasn't what it should be in the middle of River Bend Ranch.

If Sam _did_ have any rational thoughts at all, they had all been shoved away when Jake's lips met hers. The phone was now sweaty in Sam's hand but her firm grip seemed to be cemented on to it.

"Samantha Ann Forster, what's your problem?" Jen asked annoyed. "Rachel is at my house and you seem to be dead."

She was going to respond to Jen when Jake shifted from being smashed against the couch and his mouth opened a bit.

"Oh, gosh." Sam finally muttered against her best friend/neighbor/boyfriend's mouth. Jake, however, seemed to be a complete different person when it came to kissing, and now Sam knew why everyone agreed that cowboys were hot.

Jen took this as a cue to go on. "Yeah, well, gosh is an understatement. Why is your voice so, like, out of breath?"

Jennifer Kenworthy could have been in Pluto for all that Jake and Sam knew.

Especially now that Sam could feel Jake's teeth. Unlike all the other tentative and hurried kisses that they shared, it seemed to last years. In reality, it was three minutes.

"Sam, are you eating breakfast? I seriously don't know what's wrong with you!" Jen exclaimed. At Diamond K, she was in her room thinking so hard about what Sam could be so quiet about that she didn't notice the click of the receiver being picked up.

_ Oh, my gosh_, Sam thought; with a mixture of excitement, curiosity and freaked-out-ness. _I can't believe I am kissing, and practically French kissing, Jake Ely_!

Sam's on brown eyes were locked on Jake's black ones when she realized someone was yelling at her- loud.

"SAM! What the heck's wrong? YOU WON'T ANSWER!" Jen yelled.

"On speaker phone." Jake said out of the blue.

There was silence on the other end. Sam was leaning on the back of the couch still, her back cramping from the strange position.

"Wait, Samantha Forster." said Jen, soundly shocked. "Did I just hear _Jake Ely_? Are you eating with him?"

Sam bit her lip in realization. She was still on the phone with Jen! Feeling like the biggest ditz in the world, Sam told Jen that yes, Jake was at her house.

Jen thought for a second, and Sam flushed unbearably red. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Jake and she had been doing, and if anyone, Jen was practically a rocket scientist. Or could be, possibly, with her high IQ.

"Okay, so you're sucking on something, you're not answering me, and Jake; your boyfriend, is right there with you." Jen figured out loud, ignoring Sam's protests.

Meanwhile, a small click was barely audible over the sound of Jen's perplexed voice.

"-Sam, are you eating a Popsicle?" Jen continued. "Still, that's no excuse not to talk to me…unless Jake was like, strangling you with it…"

"JEN!" yelled Sam and Jake simultaneously, causing Jen to move the phone two inches within her ear.

Sam sighed heavily, still blushing. So fortunately Jen had no clue what they'd been doing, but relating Popsicle eating to _kissing_?

"Jennifer Kenworthy, I'll explain later." Sam interrupted her best friend's tirade for the fortieth time.

Jake, who was slowly inching away, a light flush darkening his face, shot Sam a look and mouthed, _hurry up_!

Okay, Sam decided. This day may have caused her heart to beat to fast, or maybe she was just tired from hearing Jen, but either way, she needed to get off the phone, quit kissing Jake, and get some work done before Gram came home.

_ A small gasp escaped the brunette British girl's pink lips. Maybe that Kenworthy cowgirl was good at figuring out math equations, but she was a blonde when it came to sounds. That filthy little, __irritating cow-gull had been making out with Jacob Ely!_


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Rachel Slocum had never been so utterly angry in her life. Excluding the time when she _saw_ Jake Ely kissing Samantha Forster.

But at least then their mouths had been closed!

Pacing Daisy Robert's bedroom, Rachel stopped to glance at the photos on her BFF's bulletin board. They almost all featured Rachel in them, she was glad to see. All except one had Daisy's ex-boyfriend in them. Then one caught her eye. It was of Daisy's birth mother (who'd run off to Las Vegas after having Daisy) with Mr. Roberts and two-day old Daisy in it.

"That's it!" exclaimed Rachel out-loud. "Everyone knows that I am famous for spreading rumors…"

Her blond cheerleader friend bustled into the room, wearing a low-cut tank top and skinny jeans. "Okay, I'm back." Daisy announced, handing a cup of steaming vanilla coffee to Rachel.

She held back a grimace. Her hostess was trying, but Rachel hardly could accept anything lower than a Starbucks or H&M clothing.

"What's the plan?" Daisy asked excitedly, lounging in her tie-dye beanbag chair. "I'm absolutely _dying_ to humiliate Sam Forster in front of that hunky Jake Ely."

"Why's that?" Rachel snapped. She may have flunked Algebra 1, but when it came to social and emotional reactions, Rachel was a pro.

Daisy looked like a deer in the headlights. "Oh, you know, Sam's just so irritating and you hate her…"

Rachel raised two immaculate eyebrows. "If I did not know any better, I'd think that you are crushing on Jacob Ely!"

"Everyone thinks he's hot, Rachel. Plus, he's taken by a dorky fifteen-year-old. Seriously."

Clunking down the cup of coffee, Rachel crossed her arms and stared down at her beta girl. No one _dared_ to talk back to the English Majesty. And Daisy especially, who'd probably had been stealing Jake Ely since she left in January!

"Listen, Rach." Daisy told her steadily. "We both hate Sammy Forster and we both love Jacob Ely. Now let's hear your scheme."

The brunette rich girl flipped her stylish cropped hair. "That's better, Daisy. But I'll need your loud mouth to broadcast this to Darton, Alkali and especially Jake's family. So listen up…"

_**Back at Riverbend**_

For the last forty-five minutes, Sam and Jake had worked in silence. It was a particularly awkward silence, but there really wasn't anything Sam could think of to say that sounded right. So she just kept scooping out the stalls.

Quickly, Sam through a glance at Jake. His jaw wasn't tightened and his eyes weren't mad. He just was embarrassed.

"Jake…" Sam started, setting down her shovel. "Um, are you mad that that happened?"

Jake couldn't meet her eyes. "What happened?" he inquired innocently.

UGH! Sam hated when she had to repeat something embarrassing. "You know, that we were kissing, more than we ever have, and then I forgot that Jen was on the phone with me?"

To her surprise, Jake gave a small smirk, still not looking up from scooping up dirty bedding. "Nah. Go figure, right?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well, I know that Jen won't stop pestering me until I tell her what happened."

Jake swallowed. "Just don't let Wyatt get a hold of this." he mumbled, rubbing his neck.

"I don't plan to." Sam responded.

…**...**

"Phil's Fill-up?" Rachel spitted out. "How revolting. But if that's what it takes to get revenge, so be it!"

Daisy rolled her blond eyebrows. "It's a good idea, Rachel, and you know it."

"But I'm going to have to talk to Darrell!" Rachel uttered his name like she did to Jen Kentworthy's.

"Quit being dramatic." Daisy said, ignoring Rachel's smirk.

Her best friend flipped her brunette hair back and sauntered through the door as if she owned the place. Of course, Daisy was used to it and followed her obediently like a little puppy. She did gape at the vehicle parked in the drive though. A crème-colored Porsche sat gleaming in the bright July heat. It was exquisite.

"If this can't win him, nothing can." Rachel announced. "It's a small gift from my father to repair all the damage that he's done to me."

Daisy smiled and ducked elegantly onto the immaculate matching passenger seat. In a specialized CD holder, dozens of brand-new bonus disks sat. Daisy noticed that the license plates were from New York and in bright pink lettering read "Rach Rulez".

Even if there was no traffic from her residence to Alkali, Daisy still hoped to see someone with a shocked expression driving past Rachel's Porsche.

"-I wanted it from New York City too," Rachel continued on. "So when I came back to pack up, I acquired it."

The petite blond, meanwhile smiled smugly at Clara as they cruised by Clara's Diner. The vibrant blonde only laughed, from what Daisy saw.

After awhile, Daisy and Rachel were inside the "unsanitary" gas station. Really, it was better than any Mobil or Shell around, since Darrell was pretty good at cleaning it up, shocker there.

"Why, hello, Daniel." Rachel said purposely, acting surprised to see him there. "I did not know you worked at this filthy store."

Darrell raised his eyebrows. "Yo, Queen." he laughed. "'Sup, Tulip?"

It was funny how she'd never noticed his biceps, Daisy thought dreamily. And how he was so tall and…masculine.

A sharp jab in the back sent Daisy back from her fantasy.

"I see some of us haven't grown up." Rachel replied crisply.

"Yeah? Still 5"6?" Darrell acted like she was a dwarf.

Rachel scowled. "I came here to pick up some items for our dear friend Samantha."

In the meantime, Daisy was grabbing newborn diapers, burp rags and with a short laugh, a nursing medication that helps the milk come faster. She wasn't surprised it was well-stocked. Phil's Fill-up was huge inside.

Darrell glanced at Daisy's armful of baby items. "When're you due?" he asked nonchalantly.

Rachel steamed. "It's for _Samantha_, Darrell, hasn't Jake told you the good news?"

"Oh yeah?" the teenage guy rung up the items to a grand total of forty dollars.

"Oh yeah." Daisy answered, a little bit too enthusiastic. "Since it already costs a load to have a baby, we figured we'd donate a few items."

Darrell laughed. "How nice of ya'll." he drawled, completely ignoring their comments. "Good luck with that medication."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Ehmagosh," Rachel was saying, acting captivated by Daisy's story. The two drama queens sat on the bar stools in Clara's Diner, thrilled that it was half-way busy for once. Clara was cleaning off the counter by them, so Daisy was trying to get through the story so Clara would be able to hear. As well as a few other Alkali citizens, sitting around eating steaming-hot burgers and pineapple-upside-down cake.

Rachel tried not to cringe at the caffeine-free diet Coke in her hand.

"-Anyway… Sam was totally in hysterics and I was trying to calm her down…" Daisy drawled out slowly and clearly.

Rachel's front was to act like she had just came back from London to pick up her belongings and didn't know about Daisy's story. The brunette shifted her glance quickly to Clara. The bubbly blonde's eyebrows were raised and she didn't try to conceal the fact that she was eavesdropping.

"Oh, gawd." Rachel whispered, faking sympathy. "Poor, poor Samantha. Can she afford an abortion?"

Daisy shook her head slowly, sipping her strawberry shake. "Wyatt and Brynna probably wouldn't let her, but they don't know yet. Sam told me to not tell anyone."

It only was a misfortune that Sheriff Lawrence happened to be totally into this façade, believing every word out of the blond teen's mouth.

Clara was having troubles believing that, but she did like the story_. It'd make a good dramatic novel_, she thought.

RJay happened to be there also, and he almost choked on his steak burger with laughter. Boy, he could imagine what Sam would be saying if she were there right then…

…So he tapped Jake Ely a quick text.

_ Hey Jake_

_ Congrats._

_ You'll make a great daddy, lol. _

"What the heck?" Jake stammered, reading the text message from RJay, who was one of his friends from school. First, he wasn't used to getting texts, only from Darrell, who sent him dirty jokes that he deleted right away. Second, RJay wasn't even really his friend. Just acquaintance. Third, _what the freak did he mean_?

He rubbed his neck and read the text again, looking up and seeing Sam cantering Tempest around the corral.

It took him two minutes to do it, but he finally managed to write-

_ Hey RJay_

_ I have no clue what you're sayin'. _

_ How the heck did you get my phone number?_

"Gosh, Jake." Sam suddenly said, leading Tempest to the edge of the pen. "I didn't know you texted."

"I don't." Jake muttered, still rubbing his neck, his black hair strangely still short. But it was better that way. "RJay's just sendin' me weird messages."

Sam's auburn hair glowed reddish in the sun. "RJay?"

"Yep." Jake told her, startled when his phone buzzed again.

_ I heard about Sam. _

_ Rachel & Daisy are spreading the word._

_ I'm at Clara's right now, come over?_

Jake's brows furrowed in confusion. He didn't get what he was sayin', and he didn't care either. Rachel Slocum had only been in Nevada for six hours and she was already stirring up trouble. Figures.

…_**...**_

After telling Heck Ballard that he would cover for him while he went to Reno, Sheriff Ron Lawrence jumped in his police cruiser and headed for River Bend.

Sheriff Lawrence was plain bored in the little desolate town of Alkali. While Heck was chasing down horse rustlers and cowboys out of a Western movie, he was stuck sitting in a tiny office or Clara's, slurping down black coffee.

Plus, he'd had quite enough of little Samantha Forster. She'd stirred up more than enough trouble that involved Heck Ballard. One of these days, he wanted to arrest her for something so Heck would stop believing that she was so helpful.

He liked to relate her to Curious George. The fictional monkey always got in trouble and then got rewarded for it, making the rest of the people look like fools. That was just like Samantha.

When Sheriff Lawrence saw River Bend before him, he grinned. Nothing was more exciting than arresting an adolescent for violating the law. It was like a movie, having a teenage cowgirl get pregnant by her "best friend" neighbor cowboy. And Ron Lawrence was glad he was part of it.

Sam was brushing Tempest's long black mane when a Darton County police cruiser pulled into the ranch yard, causing Tempest to shift her not-so-little hoof onto Sam's boot.

"Ow." Sam groaned, pushing Tempest off. She could already feel her toes swelling up. When the police door slammed, her filly swung her neck, her mane flying into Sam's face, bringing tears to her eyes from the black coarse hair in them.

_ Now what_? Sam thought grouchily. Knowing her luck, it involved her, and when the police man stepped around the cruiser, she saw it was the dreaded Sheriff Lawrence.

Desperate for him not to see her, she ducked down by Tempest, thankful that the big oak tree shielded the view of her from the yard.

Sheriff Lawrence could only see a black filly, sniffing the sparse ground in a corral.

Jake was in the cool tack room by himself polishing some old saddles that a rancher had paid him to clean.

Gram and Cody were in Darton shopping for some new baby things. Brynna was, of course, at the BLM, and the cowboys and Dad were far out with the herd looking for cougar tracks.

So whatever he needed, she hoped he'd think that everyone was gone. She shuddered, thinking about the last time when Jake was teaching her to drive.

The middle-aged police officer strode purposefully toward the house, and Sam now had her chance. She unbolted the fence gate; thankful that she'd just put some WD-40 on it.

Then she sprinted the bare fifteen feet to the back barn door, silently stepping in.

When she got to the tack room, she saw Jake bent over the saddle silently cleaning it. No radio was on; there was no sound except the steady brushing.

In three steps, Sam reached Jake, grabbed his arm, and told him to be quiet. "Sheriff Lawrence is here." she told him. "I don't know why, but he hasn't seen me yet."

"But-" Jake started, cutting off when Sam put a finger to his lips.

She glanced around. "Shut _up_, Jake! Remember last time he came here?"

_ All too clearly_, Jake thought disdainfully. "So what're ya gonna do, hide?" he whispered, jokingly.

"Yep." Sam said quietly. "He freaks me out."

Without much hesitation, Jake followed Sam into the hayloft, where she hunkered behind some hay bales. He felt like a kid again, playing hide-and-seek with Sam, except for this time his face turned crimson and his heart was going faster than it did a long time ago.

Ron Lawrence picked up the note on the counter. He had no choice than to open the unlocked screen door and walk in, since no one was answering.

_ Sam-_

_ Remember to water the green beans._

_ I'm picking up some baby clothes, I'll be back_

_ at four. Behave yourself._

_ Love, Gram._

Sheriff Ron Lawrence's suspicions were confirmed. But if she told her Gram…he didn't have everything cleared, but he knew that Sam had to be around somewhere.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Sam's heart thudded louder than the rhythmic tick of a grandfather clock. Her hand was permanently glued to Jake's and her legs cramped painfully.

Jake was crouched down in the same awkward position as she, but even more uncomfortable, since he had to conceal his taller body. Sam almost laughed at the hay that covered his thick black hair.

"Now you're a blonde!" Sam dared to whisper, forgetting that the sheriff was somewhere within hearing distance.

Jake's look was of pure rage. "Samantha Anne!" he hissed, shaking hay off of his clothes. "This is _not_ funn-"

Just then, a creak of floorboards was heard. Sam dug her fingernails into his palm. "SHH!" she mouthed, hunkering forward.

Sheriff Lawrence walked down the length of the barn, glancing around with a confused expression. He thought he'd heard something….

Jake's eyebrows shot up as he pointed at a crack in the floor right next to his left boot. There, Sam could see hair, a crew cut, of the sheriff. He was right below them!

"Ew Maw Gawwwshhh." Rachel exclaimed, once she was seated in her Porsche. Daisy smirked and reapplied her Strawberry Lip Jam.

Rachel giggled. "Look out Hollywood!"

"That was fantastic." Daisy smiled at her friend. "Even Sheriff Lawrence was captivated."

"I know. Am I good or what?" cried Rachel. "Jake Ely is _not_ going to want a prego girlfriend. Then he'll dump her and come for me, which will probably end up being the best thing that has ever happened to him!"

Daisy didn't argue with her, even though she wasn't sure Jake would fall for the Brit beauty that willingly.

And she did feel jealous that Rachel had to be in the spot light 24/7, and she was just Rachel's tagalong blond BFF, like a forgotten Beta of Darton County.

Samantha Forster was lower down than a Beta, though, Daisy told herself. She's like, one of the most unpopular girls at Darton High. _Then why did Jake like her so much_?

Suddenly, Daisy was lurched out of her seat and into the dashboard. The Porsche bumped a bit into the air, but the airbags stayed put. "Ow!" she complained, turning towards her friend.

Rachel was completely focused on the road, her full lips open in a horrified grimace. Daisy tried not to look out onto the road, but she couldn't help herself.

What she saw made her sensitive stomach do handsprings and her strawberry shake come back up her throat.

"Anyone here?" yelled Sheriff Lawrence. "Samantha? Wyatt?"

At the sound of her name, Sam wavered. Her boot moved slightly above the hole, making a small but noticeable squeak.

Jake swallowed, completely frozen, and didn't look at Sam. Sam tried to stop fidgeting, but it was nearly impossible. She settled for leaning against Jake and gulping in big breaths of fresh country air.

_ Fresh country air full of hay and pollen dust_, Sam thought irritably, trying to muffle a sneeze.

Jake grabbed her shoulders and shoved her down farther into the hay, causing Sam to curse mentally. Jake practically dove on top of her, and if the situation hadn't been so nerve-wracking, Sam would've turned crimson.

Two seconds later, footsteps heavily clomped up the wall rungs to the haymow.

Full of adrenaline, Sam strained to be quiet. She almost succeeded, when Jake reallocated, the effect making Sam need to cough- bad.

_ I can't hold it back_! Sam screeched inside her head. _He's gonna find us_! _And Dad will _kill_ me_!

Just as a heavy wheeze burst out of Sam's lungs, _Womanizer _by Britney Spears blared out of some unknown object.

Sheriff Lawrence embarrassedly retrieved a Samsung cell out of his pocket and answered it as soon as possible. His prankster brother must have changed his ring tone, he thought in out-rage. His normal ring was a curt, business-like beep.

Jake's brown eyes stretched wider than Sam knew were possible. Other than that, he had no reaction.

Sam, on the other hand, had to control herself, as usual, to not peek over the hay bales.

"Hello, Sheriff Ron Lawrence." the police man announced after he had clumsily dropped the phone on the wood floor causing it to up the volume on the ring. After a few awkward seconds, he'd finally opened it.

"This is Ra- Rachel Slocum." stuttered a nervous voice. Jake and Sam could hear her quite clearly, since the volume was so high.

_ Rachel Slocum_, Lawrence thought, thinking hard. Ahh- yes. The modelistic adolescent who's father was the naïve Lincoln Slocum. In fact, she was the one who was listening intently to Daisy in Clara's.

"What can I do for you, Rachel?" Sheriff Lawrence said reluctantly, hating to leave his case.

"It is an emergency. Daisy Roberts and I have collided with a ferret. I'm in my Porsche on Rural Route 2200."

Sam's eyes locked with Jake's. A ferret?


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"%#*!" screeched Rachel in absolute outrage. EW, she just couldn't look, couldn't look…But then she did.

Daisy had upchucked all over Rachel Gertrude Slocum's leather Porsche seats.

And a dead ferret-looking thing lay dead in the middle of the country road. The world was coming to an end, Rachel thought with shock. Otherwise, this would not have happened_. If I would have kept my (INSERT CURSE) butt in England_, she thought reluctantly, _none of this idiotic mess would have occurred._

Now Daisy's head was out of the car window and her retching could still be heard over Rachel's cussing. The blond felt sicker than a dog, no joke. But at least a dog could eat grass to feel better. The only thing that made Daisy feel better is that this at least wasn't _her _car.

For the first time in her sixteen years, Rachel felt speechless and dumb. She wasn't use to comforting people (let alone sick people) and cursing wasn't doing any good whatsoever.

"Umm, Daisy," Rachel scowled. "You do realize you will be paying for this?"

The only response from Daisy was the sound of her crying and coughing.

_ 55…56…57…58…59, 60_! Sam burst out of the hay and looked dashed to a window. She could see from there that the irritating sheriff was already halfway to 2200.

Jake was right behind her, still rubbing straw and dust out of his dark hair. He looked beyond ticked off. "Samantha Ann Forster!" he barked. "What were you freakin' _thinking_?"

"Um, I don't know?" guessed Sam guiltily.

Instead of yelling at her, he stubbornly crossed his arms and looked down on her. This annoyed Sam, since she was his girlfriend, not his little sister!

"Quit acting like Dad." grumbled Sam. "What was I suppost to do? I don't know why exactly he was here, but whatever it was, it wasn't good!"

Jake exhaled. "Ferret." he said. "Rachel plowed into a ferret."

`Glad that he wasn't set on scolding her, Sam gratefully took it from there. "That's hysterical." Sam said with a straight face. "You can sure tell she just got her license. Or is the driving in London different than it is in this desolate town?"

The corners of Jake's mouth turned up in a tomcat grin. Pretty soon they were laughing so hard Sam couldn't see straight. Rarely had she seen Jake laughing, but now they were leaning against each other shaking with laughter.

Sheriff Lawrence pulled up to the crime scene to see the English teenager screaming profanities and the flaxen Roberts girl leaning out of the expensive 2010 Porsche puking out her guts.

A lifeless rodent lay by the front right wheel of the car. _So that must be what she was saying __about a ferret_, mused the cop.

The once-alive ugly prairie dog may have slightly resembled a ferret, but it wasn't difficult to tell that it was a feral animal. As Ron Lawrence unhurriedly removed himself from the police cruiser, Rachel Slocum strode toward him, her styled hair slightly mussed.

"What the #!% took you so long?" yelled the priss, gesturing toward her friend and the dead prairie dog.

His face turning purple with outrage, Sheriff Lawrence whipped out his official badge (which he showed off at any chance he got) and shoved it in Rachel's face.

"DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?" he yelled back. "YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR CURSING TO A RESPECTED POLICE MAN!"

"_Do I look like I care_?" retorted Rachel icily, ignoring his expression of outrage. "I called for a guy to come clear all this up, not a lecturer!"

Meanwhile, Daisy's three last meals were on the car, the ground and other various locations. She quickly grabbed a smashed Hershey Kiss from her pocket and threw it into her yucky mouth.

She smoothed down her blond hair as good as she could get it, and reapplied her lip gloss. Meaningfully not looking at her vomit, she stepped on of the Porsche and over to Rachel and Sheriff Lawrence.

"Um, _Uncle Ronny_?"

"I'm leavin'." announced Jake firmly. "'Specially if that sheriff decides to come back."

Sam nodded in agreement. Her and Jake sat on the porch swing, and her gaze kept reverting back to the road. She hoped that Rachel's crisis would stop him from pursuing them any further.

Gram would be back at four, and it was only about 2 o'clock. Again, she hoped that he wouldn't be back and she could be left alone to fuss with Tempest.

"Brat, you can come too." Jake suddenly told her, looking at her.

Sam frowned. "Why? I can just stay here and groom Tempest. That's what I was doing, before he came."

"You haven't seen the Phantom in a while."

"That's right. Not since the vet treated him, anyway."

Sam was pretty surprised that Jake actually brought up looking for Blackie. Since he was always concerned about her health and safety.

In ten minutes, they were saddled up on Witch and Tempest and ready to go set off on the range.

The silence was peaceful and Sam was thankful that she lived out in the middle of nowhere. How people could stand all those buildings and light pollution blocking out the sky, she didn't know. She was also glad that Sheriff Lawrence hadn't discovered her and Jake hiding. And that Rachel Slocum hadn't stirred up any trouble.

Little did she know…


End file.
